Udall Welcomes Decision to Remove Cuba from List of State Sponsors of Terrorism

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, expressed support for the administration's decision to remove Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. Udall is a longtime advocate for normalizing diplomatic relations with Cuba and supports legislation permitting U.S. citizens to freely travel to Cuba, efforts to open the Internet, and end the embargo blocking U.S. trade with Cuba. In November, Udall traveled to Cuba with Senator Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), where they met with Cuban officials as well as religious and business leaders to discuss the impacts of the embargo and travel restrictions on American and Cuban families. Udall's statement follows:

"Today's decision to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism is an important step toward building a 21st century relationship with Cuba. U.S. policy toward Cuba is a relic of the Cold War; it's ineffective, and it's time to try something new. In my visits with Cuban entrepreneurs, artists and others, it has become clear to me that the Cuban people are as eager to build relations with Americans as Americans are to learn more about Cuba. And those relationships, built through tourism and trade, are the best way to bring freedom and openness to Cuba. The best diplomats of American values are Americans themselves, and I urge Congress to support this decision and further steps toward modernizing our relations with Cuba."